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Chapter 27

This webpage reproduces a chapter of
Iowa As It Is in 1856
by
N. Howe Parker
Chicago and Philadelphia, 1856

The text is in the public domain.

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Chapter 29

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 p253  Chapter XXVIII

Religious Worship

Congregational Churches

The State of Iowa is divided into five associations. The latest reports are from proceedings of the annual Association, in June, 1854, as follows:—

No. of Members
Council Bluffs Association 40
Davenport Association 471
Denmark Association 759
Des Moines River Association 862
Dubuque Association 604
2236
Estimated addition in 9 months 250
2486
No. of Ministers in the State 57
No. of Churches in the State 72
Meeting Houses built 39
Meeting Houses building 6

Congregational churches are thus located: Council Bluffs Association. — Civil Bend, Council Bluffs, Tabor (Florence, N. T.). Davenport Association. — Anamosa, Copper Creek, Davenport, Deep Creek, De Witt, Le Claire, Lyons, Marion, Muscatine, Sabula, Sterling, Sugar Creek, Summit, Tipton, Toledo. Denmark Association. — Brighton, Burlington, Clay, Columbus, Crawfordsville, Danville, Denmark, Flint, Hillsboro', Long Creek, Mount Pleasant, North Marion, Old Man's Creek, Salem, Trenton, Wapello, Warren, Wayne. Des Moines River Association. Bentonsport,  p254 Chariton, Eddyville, Elk Creek, Fairfield, Farmington, Keosauqua, Knoxsville,º Marysville, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Pleasantville, Red Rock. Dubuque Association. — Bellevue, Bowen's Prairie, Cascade, Centre, Colesburg, Cottonville, Decorah, Dubuque, Durango, Farmersburgh, French Settlement, Garnaville, Lansing, Manona, Maquoketa, Quasqueton, Sherold's Mound, Teroli, West Union, Yankee Settlement.

Statistical Table of Baptists in Iowa

Associations Churches Pastors Baptised
during
year 		No.
of
Members 		Date
of
Report
Des Moines 21 11 247 1159 Aug. 25, 1854
Davenport 24 17 73 1078 Sept. 15, 1854
Oskaloosa 16 5 32 502 Aug. 30, 1854
Central Iowa 14 6 98 384 Sept. 29, 1854
Fox River 17 7 69 628 Sept. 8, 1854
Eden 10 3 300
6 Associations 102 49 519 4051
Not included in above 3 11 49 A low estimate
105 60 519 4100

Statistical History of the Iowa Baptist Convention

Anniver'y Where Held Moderator Clerk In. Preacher
1st — 1843 Iowa City Rev. B. Carpenter Rev. W. B. Morey Rev. H. Johnson
2d — 1843 Davenport Rev. H. Johnson J. T. Fales Rev. A. Sherwood
3d — 1844 Mt. Pleasant Rev. E. Fisher D. G. Blood Rev. C. E. Brown
4th — 1845 Bloomington Rev. H. Burnett Rev. D. E. Brown Rev. W. B. Morey
5th — 1846 Iowa City Rev. B. F. Brabrook J. T. Fales Rev. J. N. Seely
6th — 1847 Farmington J. T. Fales, Esq. Rev. W. B. Morey Rev. H. Burnett
7th — 1848 Davenport Rev. D. P. Smith Rev. T. H. Archibald Rev. D. P. Smith
8th — 1849 Iowa City Rev. B. F. Brabrook Rev. T. H. Archibald Rev. C. E. Brown
9th — 1850 Mt. Pleasant Rev. D. P. Smith Rev. S. B. Johnson Rev. T. H. Archibald
10th — 1851, 1 ses. Muscatine J. T. Fales, Esq. Rev. S. B. Johnson Rev. G. J. Johnson
10th — 1851, 2 ses. Burlington J. T. Fales, Esq. Rev. S. B. Johnson Rev. W. A. Wells
11th — 1852 Marion Rev. E. Gunn Rev. J. C. Curtis Rev. J. A. Nash
12th — 1853 Keokuk Rev. E. M. Miles Rev. Wm. Turton Rev. G. J. Johnson
13th — 1854 Davenport Rev. H. Burnett Rev. H. R. Wilbur Rev. W. Elliott

 p255  Presbyterian Churches

The Synod of Iowa is divided into three Presbyteries. According to the statistical reports for 1854, this Synod consists of the following:—

No. Members No. Churches
1. Presbytery of Iowa 247 24
2. Presbytery of Cedar 799 47
3. Presbytery of Des Moines 787 100

In Synod of Iowa

1833 171

Location of Presbyterian Churches

First Presbytery. — Keokuk, West Point, Middletown, Morning Sun, Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Burlington, Lowell, Spring Creek, Fort Madison, and Kossuth. Second Presbytery. — Muscatine, West Liberty, Farmer's Creek, Tipton, Scotch Grove, Cascade, Grandview, Marion, Lime Grove, Dubuque, Davenport, Iowa City, Le Claire, Solon, Blue Grass, Maquoketa, Postville, Franckville, Coleburg, Lybrand, Pleasant Grove, Vinton, Independence, Hopkinton, Lisbon, Princeton. Third Presbytery. — Fairfield, Libertyville, Sigourney, Birmingham, Winchester, Oskaloosa, Washington, Brighton, Albia, Crawfordsville, Troy, Keosauqua, Bentonsport, Kirkville, Indianolo, Ottumwa, Knoxville, and Ft. Des Moines.

Protestant Episcopal Church

The territorial limits of the diocese embrace the entire State. The Right Rev. H. W. Lee, D. D., is bishop of the same. It was organized into a diocese, August 18th, 1853, under the provisionary charge of the Rt. Rev. J. Kemper, D. D. The present bishop was elected June 1st, 1854.

 p256  There are organized parishes in the following places:— Dubuque, Bellevue, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington, Ft. Madison, Keokuk, Ft. Des Moines, Washington, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids. Churches are built in the following places:— Dubuque, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington, and Keokuk, and one is in progress at Cedar Rapids.

The number of clergy in the diocese is 11; number of communicants, about 300. Immigration is adding to families and communicants every month. Number of Sunday Schools not ascertained as yet. The second annual convention meets at Burlington, on the 29th of May next.

Methodist Churches

In the following table we give a full history of the condition of the Methodist Churches in Iowa, as rendered at the Eleventh Annual Conference, held September 27th, 1854:—

M. E. churches

Districts Churches Parsonages Preachers Members
Keokuk 22 7 49 4171
Burlington 23 10 35 2830
Dubuque 8 5 21 1518
Upper Iowa 15 4 21 1332
Mt. Vernon 4 4 30 1374
Iowa City 14 6 33 1948
Ft. Des Moines 7 9 41 2882
Council Bluffs 3 0 13 408
Total 80 41 222 15131

M. E. Sabbath schools

Districts Schools Scholars Volumes in library Converted past year
Keokuk 52 2560 6263 112
Burlington 39 2496 5615 94
Dubuque 28 1363 4657 9
Upper Iowa 42 1851 4595 38
Mt. Vernon 35 1146 4229 48
Iowa City 39 1215 3715 35
Ft. Des Moines 41 1656 4151 34
Council Bluffs 11 417 850 3
Scattering 4 430 100 6
Total 271 13,254 35,173 398

 p257  Catholic Churches and Clergy

The diocese of Dubuque, comprises the State of Iowa, and is administered by the Rt. Rev. Mathias Loras, D. D. The principal buildings at Dubuque embrace the "Cathedral of St. Raphael," now nearly completed, the "Holy Trinity," (German) and a new and spacious church in the upper part of the city, "under the patronage of St. Patrick." Also the "Mount St. Bernard Theological Seminary," situated four miles from Dubuque, with ten seminaries and three professors; the "Cistercian Monastery of Our Blessed Lady of La Trappe," New Melleray, near Dubuque;​a "Brothers of Christian Instruction," at New Paradise Grove, four miles from Dubuque, and "St. Joseph's Female Academy," situated eight miles from Dubuque. Beside the above, the Catholics have the "Convent and Academy of the Visitation," at Keokuk, and churches and stations at the following named places:—

Dubuque County, at Dubuque, Cascade, Green Oak, New Vienna, St. Joseph's, Shellsmound, St. Nicholas, and Téte-de‑Mort;

Jackson County, at Garry Owen, St. Lawrence, Cascade, Belleview, and Sabula;

Jones County, at Castle Grove, and St. Thomas;

Delaware County, at Buffalo Grove;

Clayton County, at Carnoville, and Guttenberg;

Clinton County, at Lyons, and Camanche;

 p258  Scott County, at Davenport,​1 and Le Claire;

Muscatine County, at Muscatine;

Johnson County, at Iowa City, English River, and Old Man's Creek;

Des Moines County, at Burlington, Dodgeville, and Augusta;

Lee County, at West Point, Fort Madison, Keokuk, and Farmington;

Winnesheikº County, at Big Springs, and Old Mission; at Ottumwa, Wapello County; Ft. Des Moines, Polk County; Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, and New Paradise Grove, near Mount St. Bernard.

Recapitulation. — Churches, 35; stations, 17; clergy­men, 29; religious communities, 5; Catholic academies 4; Catholic population, 20,000.

The Author's Note:

1 The Catholic is the largest church in Davenport, covering an area •44 by 84 feet. The cost of the edifice was about $10,000. Number of members, 3000, (many of them residing in the country). Connected with the church is a youths' school, conducted by Rev. J. A. M. Pelamourgues, and three assistant teachers. The entire square upon which these buildings are located, was donated to the church, by Antoine Le Claire.

Thayer's Note:

a An entire issue of The Palimpsest is devoted to New Melleray (Vol. 3 No. 9, Sept. 1922); it is onsite.

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